


Returned

by ImagineYourself



Series: The Cage [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Also Dean is a cockblocker, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, But Sam explains things, Consent is Sexy, Dean is skeptical, Fluff, Grace Sex, Happy Ending, Human Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Men of Letters Bunker, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Season/Series 08 AU, Reunions, To make up for the previous angst like crazy, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 08:30:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2615141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineYourself/pseuds/ImagineYourself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a few years since the whole Hallucifer fiasco after Sam was taken from the cage--from Lucifer. He's been waiting, knowing that he'd probably never see the archangel again. But as fate would have it, Lucifer is pretty stubborn, and the fall of the angels has allowed him the chance to return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Returned

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, it's been nearly two years from the time I started this series... and it's been a long time since season 8 even ended... but I finally got around to writing this! And it only took me like three weeks. But I just had to give some closure, and a happier ending! Because even though canonly the ending is always gonna be sad, I can be happy with my canon divergence. Also this turned out to be incredibly longer than planned (it was gonna be about 4k *cries*) but it's okay! I need to write more anyway.

As soon as Sam found out what had happened, he felt his heart skip a beat. Angels had fallen from Heaven and were roaming the earth with little to no power. Cas had showed up on their doorstep looking ragged and about as bad as Sam felt. Leaving the trials had done a number on him, but he had one hope that kept him from just leaving and finishing his task.

When the angels fell from Heaven, maybe Lucifer was brought back to earth from Hell.

Lucifer was one of those things that Sam tried to stop thinking about over the past few years, but hadn't succeeded. He'd tried to put what happened behind him, but trying to forget a hundred years was a lot harder than he had thought. He had buried himself in hunting for a while, then when Dean went to purgatory he'd had Amelia, but it never felt quite right. Nothing ever did. He always felt like there was a part of him missing.

Sometimes Sam would wake in the mornings and reach to his side, expecting to feel warm feathers and cold skin beside him. He was a little quieter on those days. Dean still had no idea about what happened with Lucifer, and Sam intended to keep it that way. He didn't need any more pitying glances that he received from his brother on a daily basis. And he definitely did not want Castiel to know, Sam didn't know if he could take it if the angel started looking at him differently because of that. With Kevin... he didn't think he could even begin to properly explain it to the kid.

So Sam kept it to himself, his hope that his angel would come back. He knew it wouldn't happen, though. He knew the idea itself was so far fetched it was almost insane. He would snort to himself whenever he thought of it, never allowing himself to encourage the idea only to be disappointed in the end when he never came.

He thought of it often, still, and it was a few weeks after the fall that he found himself unable to not think about from the moment he woke up until he was standing in the kitchen two hours later, coffee in his hand. He was still thinking about it, unable to turn his mind off, even to think about other things like cases and the search for angels, as he took a seat in the main room. His laptop was open on the table to a few leads on some activity in nearby states and tried to focus on those.

There was a knock on the bunker door that brought him out of his research induced stupor not too long after. A spark flared in Sam's chest, but he ignored it in favor of trying to wrack his brain of who knew where the bunker was and would be knocking at—he checked the time on his screen—seven-thirty in the morning. There was another knock, more of a pounding really, that echoed into the room. Sam pushed himself up with his palms braced on the table and made his way over, pulling the door open with the hint of a sigh.

“Sam,” the hunter heard his name distantly, in a voice that haunted and plagued him in his sleep and even in the waking world. A voice that never should have touched his ears again. And yet, his eyes fell upon the fallen angel before him, who was smiling so genuinely despite the fact that he looked rugged and worn out. Sam's mouth fell open in shock.

“Are you just going to stand there?” Lucifer held his arms open in invitation, but Sam couldn't move. He could barely get breath inside of his lungs let alone try to think about moving.

“You're real?” Sam managed to punch the question from his tight lungs, almost afraid of the answer.

The angel moved forward where Sam could not and brought his palms to rest on the man's cheeks. He smiled, that familiar smile that had nothing to do with Nick's body—which he was still somehow inhabiting—and everything to do with the angel himself. He didn't have to say yes, Sam already knew, and with a choked sob, he launched himself into motion, wrapping his arms around the angel, holding him tightly and burying his face in his neck.

Lucifer smelled of grass and dirt and the remnants of fire, but Sam didn't care. “I thought I'd never see you again,” he whispered.

“I'm glad you were wrong,” Lucifer replied, holding him just as tight, hands buried in his hair.

After what felt like hours but was probably minutes, Sam pulled back enough to look him in the eye. “I kept hoping, after the fall I mean...” he trailed off, knowing that Lucifer would understand his meaning.

The angel looked suddenly sheepish. “There are a lot of things we should talk about.”

Sam frowned and dropped his arms, stepping away to push the door back open to let Lucifer inside. “Come in, we can talk inside.” Shutting and locking the door behind him, Sam made his way down the stairs, leading the other man to the table where he'd previously been sitting. It felt... different, looking at the seat he'd vacated just minutes before, the cup of coffee he'd had probably still warm next to his laptop. He suddenly turned towards Lucifer. “Do you need anything? Water? Food? A shower?”

“I still have enough of my grace left that I don't need to eat, but a shower would be nice,” the angel replied, his lips tilting in a small smile.

“Okay, I, uh.” Sam thought for a moment. “Dean and Cas are probably still sleeping and Kevin is taking a break with Charlie this week, so you should be okay to use the shower.”

“Castiel is here?”

“Yeah, he's kinda... well he's human now, his grace was stolen, so he's been staying with us.”

Lucifer looked taken aback. “Stolen?”

“It's a long story.” Sam sighed and started walking towards his room. “For now, I'll get you some clothes and you can shower and then we'll talk, okay?” He made it to his room and gathered a pair of boxers, sweatpants, and a shirt for Lucifer to change into and then brought him to the bathroom down the hall. “I know you know how to figure out a shower so...”

Lucifer took the bundle of clothes that Sam handed him, their hands brushing in the exchange. “Thank you, Sam,” he said, gratitude obvious in his voice.

Sam felt his cheeks heat up. It was nothing that Lucifer hadn't said in the past, but Sam felt a strange tension between then that probably had to do with the fact that he hadn't seen Lucifer in a couple of years, not to mention it had been several more since they had physically been near each other. Part of him thought that it made sense, the other part argued that they'd been together for hundreds of years previously and really he ought to feel more comfortable than he did.

While he was having his internal crisis, Lucifer must have slipped into the bathroom because when Sam looked around he was nowhere to be seen. The shower turned on behind the door and he breathed a sigh of relief. He returned to his laptop, dismayed to see his coffee had gone cold. Foregoing pouring another cup, he attempted to resume his research, but he was even more distracted than before. His mind kept screaming “He's here! He's really here!”

But there was another part of him that kept making him doubt, making him wonder if any of it was actually real. If Lucifer was really showering down the hall or if it was all an elaborate fantasy his mind had conjured up because he'd been thinking too hard about the possibility, even when it truly wasn't a possibility. Was he just going crazy again? The stress of the trials too much for his head to handle?

“It's too early to be thinking so hard, Sammy.” Dean's voice broke Sam from his thoughts and he looked up sharply to see his brother walking tiredly towards the kitchen, yawning as he went. He felt a flash of fear. What if Dean saw Lucifer? How was he going to explain that the angel was suddenly there and...

The angel in question came in, standing behind Sam. “I put my dirty clothes in your room, I hope that's okay.”

“What? Oh, yeah, that's fine. I just...” Sam didn't know how to put his jumbled, racing thoughts into words.

“What is it, Sam?”

“Uh, well, it's...”

“Hey, you got anything for us to...” Sam turned to look at his brother re-entering the room, coffee mug in hand, just as the older man shouted, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

The younger hunter was out of his seat and standing in front of the angel before the last word fell from his mouth. “Dean it's not—”

“Not what it looks like? Well what the hell does it even look like?”

“Just calm down for a second.”

“Calm down?”

“I can—”

Sam was cut off when Lucifer put a hand on his arm and moved beside him. “It's okay, Sam.” The look on his face said, _This is my mess, I_ _need to_ _clean it up_. It was a look that Sam knew well, knew from the times he'd talked about his mistakes, his past, while they sat on the edge of Hell and looked down. “I came back when the angels fell to earth. I had nowhere else to go.”

“So why did you come here? How did you even get here?” Dean was no longer shouting, but he was still looking at the two of them with narrowed eyes.

“I followed Sam. Well, his soul. During his time with me in Hell, I grew very attuned to his soul, and that bond has not been broken in the time we've been apart.” Lucifer spoke almost clinically, but the hand that lingered on Sam's arm told another story.

Dean eyed that hand warily. “You mean the time you tortured him for a century and a half? Yeah, I'm sure you're pretty _attuned_ to him.”

Lucifer thought for a second before he tilted his head towards Sam. “You haven't told him yet?” The hunter shook his head in response.

“Told me? Told me what?” Dean asked accusingly, moving a few steps closer.

“I did not torture him. Well, not in the way you're thinking,” the angel spoke softly, a smirk playing on his lips. Sam would have laughed if he wasn't so nervous.

“What are you talking about? Of course you did. He had nightmares for months, hallucinations, he nearly killed me because he didn't know what was real!” Dean was shouting again as he finished.

“Nightmares?” the angel looked sharply at Sam.

“I'll explain later.”

Lucifer sighed heavily. “Sam, you should tell him what really happened, I doubt he would believe me no matter what I say.”

The youngest man glanced at him, then at his brother. “You should sit down for this, Dean.”

“What? No. Tell me what's going on right now.”

Sam echoed the angel's sentiment in a sigh and sat himself down, bracing himself for the disbelief his brother was sure to show. “He actually didn't torture me, Dean. He really didn't hurt me at all, except for a few times, but those were mistakes and I've forgiven him.” He quickly added the last part when Lucifer looked at him sideways and with regret. “We, uh...” he broke off in a cough, waving his hand when Dean looked as if he was planning on helping. “I'm fine. Look, Dean, I know it's weird, and it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to you, but... Lucifer and I kind of got together.

“When Death took me out and put up that wall in my mind, it was because he had altered the memories that I had because Lucifer asked him to. He didn't want me to remember him because he didn't want me to be lonely without him. He didn't want me to hurt any more than I did. But my memories got really messed up, and when the wall came down, they were too strong. That's why I went crazy. What I was seeing— _who_ I was seeing—wasn't the real Lucifer, or even much anything like him. And then when Cas fixed me, he managed to fix most of the memories that were distorted.”

Dean was sitting by the time Sam was finished, his gaze calculating. “What do you mean you're 'together'?” he asked slowly.

“I love him,” Sam replied simply, looking up at the angel in question.

Lucifer put a hand on Sam's shoulder and told Dean, “Your brother means more to me than anything. That's why I came here.”

Opening his mouth like he was going to say something, Dean leaned forward. But when nothing came out, he sat back again. They were all silent for a long few moments, no one knowing what to say.

“Lucifer?”

The tentative call brought three pairs of eyes to the hallway, where Castiel was standing, still in his pajamas with a bedhead to rival a bird's nest. “How did you get out of the cage?”

Lucifer's hand tightened almost imperceptibly on Sam's shoulder and he let go to face his brother. “Hello little brother.” The younger angel didn't reply, so Lucifer continued, “I felt the gates of Heaven close and the power sealing my cage was weakened enough that I could slip out.”

Castiel didn't even blink. “How much grace did you use?”

After a beat of silence, Lucifer replied, “Most of it,” with a shrug.

“Where is Michael?”

“No idea. Probably still stuck where I left him.”

Suddenly, Sam remembered that although it had only been a few years for him, it had been hundreds for the archangel. He wondered if Lucifer had gone back to his old ways after Sam left, torturing his brother for fun. But what had he expected Lucifer to do? Just sit on the edge and watch the flames and tortured souls far below? It wasn't nearly as fun when you didn't have someone beside you, even Sam knew that.

“Look, guys, I know you probably have a lot of questions but can I get a minute to talk to Lucifer? Alone,” he added when Dean looked like he was about to protest. Without waiting for a proper response, Sam stood, tugging on the angel's arm to get him to follow as he went past Dean and around the corner, heading for the kitchen.

On the counter, the coffee pot was still half full and Sam was tempted to pour himself another cup. He and Lucifer stared at each other for a minute before the hunter finally muttered, “So, uh...”

“While I can't say that was the most awkward family reunion I've had, it's definitely up there.” Lucifer had his arms crossed and he grinned when Sam snorted a laugh. The tension between them melted away at that, along with their expressions. Sam found himself with his feet glued to the floor like if he moved it would all cease to be real. “Sam...”

At the almost pained whisper of his name, Sam reached out and laid a hand on the angel's cheek. “How long has it been?” he asked softly.

“Not quite three centuries. I lost count.” Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Lucifer continued. “Really not that long considering how long I've lived.” He had on a grim expression that really was just the last straw for the hunter.

Sam threw himself forward, catching Lucifer with hands cupping his face as he brought their mouths together in a kiss that was just this side of too hard. To Sam, it felt like coming home after a long trip. Maybe that home was a little different than you left it, shorter by a couple of inches, missing those massive wings he'd had in Hell, but it was still the same home. And he'd missed it so damn much.

“I'm sorry,” Sam mumbled, breathing in the air that the angel was panting out.

“For what?”

“Leaving you alone.” Lucifer pulled back to meet Sam's eyes as he spoke. In lieu of a response, he wrapped his arms tight around the human, turning him around to lay him on the kitchen table beside them. Sam's toes touched the floor, but he was flat on his back and Lucifer leaned over him, slotting their bodies together as he stole another kiss.

“You had to.” he paused, holding himself up on his hands. “We're not going to talk about this again.”

Sam knew better than to argue with him and instead reached up to pull Lucifer's lips back to his. “We should really talk about some things, though. A lot has happened out here since I came back.”

“In a minute,” the angel grumbled against his jaw, where he'd moved to lay out little kisses and bites that weren't anywhere near hard enough to hurt, but that sent shivers of recognition through Sam.

“Jesus Christ, I leave you alone for two minutes and you're already molesting my brother. And on the table for fuck's sake! I'm gonna have to bleach my brain a few times.” Dean's voice brought both of their attentions towards the door where he and Castiel were standing. “I thought you were going to talk,” the eldest Winchester added.

“We did. We just also... you know,” Sam trailed off. He pushed at Lucifer until the angel let him up again, though he left a hand on Sam's hip. “Sorry. It's just, it's only been a few years for me, but it's been three hundred for him. And after everything that happened... it's good to have the real one back.”

“You never did explain, how did the wall come down?” Lucifer asked from beside him.

Castiel spoke up, looking shameful as he said, “I did it. At the time I believed it to be the right choice, but I made everything worse. When Sam ended up in a mental hospital, I managed to transfer the damage onto myself.”

When Lucifer looked at Sam, the hunter shrugged sheepishly. “It's been a rough time for us all. Dean and Cas went to purgatory after that. That's why Cas isn't crazy anymore. We're all pretty much okay for the circumstances.”

“Sam,” Dean growled in warning.

Lucifer glanced between the brothers. “What is it? Sam?” he asked expectantly.

“I'm fine, seriously,” Sam insisted.

“Like hell you are. You're not getting any better and it's been weeks.” Dean looked smug when his brother tried to speak but ended up coughing instead. Instinct kicked in when it continued for more than a few seconds and he looked about to step forward when Lucifer rested a hand on Sam's chest and the coughs subsided.

“I can't tell the full damage with what little grace I have left but... what did you do to yourself?” the angel asked with shock and anger.

Sam couldn't look him in the eye as he replied, “I tried to close the gates of Hell. Dean stopped me because it would have killed me.”

The angel's expression turned hard and he looked to Dean. “How could you let him do something so stupid?”

“I tried to do it myself but he wouldn't let me!” Dean retorted. “Anyway, he's not dead now so it's fine.”

“He's as good as! Did you even stop to think about the severity of the trials? He is literally being ripped apart from the inside right now and it's your fault!” Lucifer shouted, shocking them all.

Sam broke the silence after a long moment. “It's not his fault. It's mine. I chose to do the trials.”

“Why?”

“I didn't have anything left to live for. I thought if I was gonna go out, I'd do something good on my way.”

“What about me? Did you even think about what it would do if I knew I had lost you forever?”

“You were in Hell! I didn't think you were ever going to get out!”

“He's dying?” The whisper startled both Sam and Lucifer from their argument. They turned to see Dean with wide eyes, staring at Sam. “I thought—I thought you'd be fine if you just didn't—”

Sam broke away from Lucifer to move to his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder and holding tight. “Dean, I'm right here. I'm not gonna die.” He watched his brother let out a shaky breath. “We'll find a way, we always do, right?”

“Yeah, Sammy. Okay.” In a moment, Dean had pulled himself together, his mask of strength firmly in place and Sam took his hand back. “I'm gonna make some breakfast. You two can go and finish your little fight now or later, but just get out of the kitchen.”

Sam nodded and moved to leave, glancing at Lucifer over his shoulder as he went. He heard Cas say something to the archangel but was too far to catch what it was, already entering the hallway. He left the door to his bedroom open and sat on the edge of the bed, knowing Lucifer would find him. A few moments later, the angel did just that, shutting the door quietly and sitting beside him. On instinct, Sam rested his head on Lucifer's shoulder and his arm wrapped around Sam's shoulders. It was a comfortably familiar position, one that reminded them of the years spent on the edge of the cage.

“I missed you,” Sam mumbled after a while.

“Your hair is longer.” Lucifer rested his cheek on the human's head.

“I miss your wings.”

“I went back to Michael, about a hundred years after you left.”

“I was with a woman for a year, while Dean was in purgatory.”

“What happened?” Lucifer didn't sound angry like Sam thought he would. Just curious. Maybe disappointed.

“She found somebody else when I went back to hunting.”

“Were you happy with her?”

Sam thought for a long moment. “For a while. But it's better this way. I don't think it's possible for me to be really happy in some mundane life without angels and demons and all the crazy shit we go through.” He took a breath to continue, but it got caught in his lungs somewhere and he bent over Lucifer's knees in a coughing fit.

The angel rubbed his hand on Sam's back, soothing him through it until he could breath normally again. He'd lost the energy to sit back up again, so he just laid himself across Lucifer's lap. “I may be able to heal you. At least partially,” the archangel told him softly.

“How?” Sam rested his hand on Lucifer's leg beside his face, grip loose but tight enough for him to know it was there.

“I'd have to use you as my vessel again. If I was inside you, it would help me replenish my grace and in turn I could give it to you to try and reverse the damage of the trials.” Lucifer's voice was almost hesitant. He knew how difficult of a choice it had been for Sam to say yes the first time. But they had also progressed far in trust since that time.

Sam didn't speak for a long moment, his mind working out his options. “How did you get Nick's body back?” he asked finally, having been wanting to know the answer since Lucifer showed up.

“He was where I left him, so when I got out I found him and managed to restore him. His soul has long since been in Heaven so he was unoccupied. It's not permanent, but as long as I continually leave and preserve him I should be fine to live on earth for a while.”

“For how long?”

“I don't know. He wasn't built to contain me for very long, as you saw last time I was here. Probably if I went back and forth between you and him I could last many years. But I don't think you'd enjoy that very much, and I wouldn't do it unless you gave me permission.” Lucifer's hand had migrated from Sam's back and to his hair, combing through it with tender fingers.

Sam felt himself smile for just a moment. “How long would you have to be in me to heal me?”

“I can't tell how extensive the damage is so I don't know that either. It could be a few weeks, it could be months, maybe even years. Without knowing how deep it goes...” the angel fell silent, his fingers continuing their path across Sam's scalp.

“You know I trust you,” the hunter started, finally sitting up to meet Lucifer's gaze. “As long as you promise not to start another apocalypse, it can't hurt to try. We should probably tell Dean and Cas first, though, so they don't think you tricked me into it or anything.”

Lucifer smiled wryly and replied, “Yes, we probably should, otherwise they might think I took advantage of you, and we don't want that.”

Sam couldn't fight the grin on his face at that. “What if I want that?”

“Then it can be arranged.” With a playful glint in his eyes, Lucifer closed the space between them and captured Sam's mouth in a kiss. He tangled his fingers once again in the human's hair, tugging his head to the side just enough to get the perfect angle, flicking his tongue across the seam of Sam's lips.

Sam hummed appreciatively and rested his hands on Lucifer's hips, pulling at him as he lay back against the bed, the angel following him down. Lucifer backed up for a moment, shoving Sam further up the bed so that he could get in between his thighs, fitting their bodies together from shoulder to hip like they'd done thousands of times. Only now they weren't in Hell; they were in actual bodies, not just manifestations of souls, and God was it glorious to finally be touching again after so long.

Lucifer's tongue slipped into Sam's mouth like it belonged there, and after so many years together, it probably did. It knew every part of Sam, knew what it felt like, tasted like. The angel's eyes were closed as the two kissed, hands roaming, but they knew what he looked like, every bit of him. They knew how to tell when he was angry, when he was happy, the moment orgasm hit him, and everything in between. Sam had missed them watching him as he slept or sat beside him.

He had missed just as much the body that was currently on top of his, grinding against him with barely a rhythm and that was how Sam liked it, rocking up to meet him every once in a while. He had missed the breathy whispers of his name between kisses and the little bites that Lucifer left across his neck. He still missed the soft feathers that had adorned the angel's back, but he took what he had happily, raking his fingers across shoulder blades where there should have been wings.

When Lucifer got his hands underneath Sam's shirt, they didn't need to speak for them to move in tandem and remove it, tossing it to the side. The angel licked and sucked at Sam's tattoo, cool hands caressing the skin of the hunter's chest. He didn't protest as Sam lifted his shirt off too, instead reveling in the touch of skin to skin as they kissed again, lips and tongues meeting like they were meant for it. In a way, they probably were.

“Every minute felt like thousands of years when you weren't with me, Sam,” Lucifer breathed into his skin.

“I'm sorry I couldn't have been there,” Sam whispered in reply.

Lucifer bit his earlobe, making the human's hips jump as a moan left his throat. “Shut up. You were always made for me, but you didn't belong with me down there.”

“But I—Lucifer!” His name was a gasp on Sam's lips as he reached a hand down and ground his palm to Sam's growing erection.

“Stop blaming yourself. If anyone is to blame then it's me. But never you, Sam. Never you.” The archangel whispered the last words to Sam's mouth before sealing it with a kiss that was everything people liked to believe wasn't the devil. Sam moaned deep in his chest, the sound swallowed by Lucifer's tongue. He lifted his hips, hands latching onto the angel's ass to pull him closer.

They were interrupted by a loud pounding on the door. “I swear to God if you two are fucking I will kill you. Soup's on!” Dean's voice brought Sam down from the high he was getting, making him fall back to the bed with a sigh.

Lucifer just kissed a path from Sam's lips to his neck and his chest until he sat up, looking down at the human with annoyance and frustration. “This is the second time your brother has cockblocked me,” he said menacingly.

Sam just laughed. “Yeah, he does that.” He lifted himself onto his elbows and Lucifer leaned back down to kiss him again. “Come on,” Sam muttered after a moment, “we should go before he comes back with something dangerous.”

They both stood reluctantly, but Lucifer refused to let Sam put his shirt back on until he had sucked and bit a very noticeable mark onto his neck that Dean would surely see. Far from being unhappy about it, Sam cornered him against the wall and kissed him heatedly for a moment or five before pulling away to pull himself together and face breakfast.

. . .

Dean and Castiel were both sitting at the table when Sam entered, Lucifer in tow. Dean had a constipated expression that Sam associated with frustrated thinking and Cas just looked blank, like he was eating on autopilot. They glanced up when the two sat at the table, but didn't say anything.

“So I take it your _talk_ went fine,” Dean eventually said, right after Sam had stuck a forkful of eggs in his mouth.

“We didn't quite finish. We were just getting to the good parts when you knocked,” Lucifer replied, half of his mouth curled up into a smile.

Sam choked a little on his eggs while Dean spluttered from across the table. Castiel looked a little amused at the two of them. Dean looked at the former angel with a petulant expression. “Did you know about this?”

Cas tilted his head. “Did I know they were a couple? Yes. When I healed Sam I saw many of his memories and some were...of them.” He ducked his head and blushed.

“What?” Sam asked in disbelief. “You never told me!”

“I thought it best if you didn't know. You didn't seem to want Dean to know. They were private memories which I intruded upon without permission.” The other man's argument was solid, but Sam couldn't help feeling a tinge of betrayal at the confession.

“Don't be angry, Sam. You know you would have done the same if your positions had been reversed.” Sam deflated a little at Lucifer's words.

“How did this even happen anyway?” Dean interjected. “I mean, last time I checked you weren't gay and you pretty much hated the guy.”

Sam looked over at the angel. “It just did,” he replied.

“Ugh, you two are disgusting,” the older hunter muttered.

“It took what, nearly a hundred years right?” At Lucifer's nod, Sam continued. “I was expecting him to torture me, or do at least _something_ like what he had done to Michael but... he didn't. He was just obnoxious and followed me around.”

“You love it when I'm obnoxious,” Lucifer said quietly, mouth twitching.

“Uh-huh, yeah,” Sam told him, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I brought it up one time and he got all macho man on me. But I knew there was more to it. More to him. He told me he didn't want to torture me anymore. It took me a while to figure everything out, and I nearly fucked it all up, but it just sort of worked out in the end. And now we're here.”

“I just... Sam, you know he's the fucking devil, right? You haven't forgotten about the apocalypse, the fact that he was trying to use us to defeat his brother and—oh right—all of humanity, have you?” Dean sounded incredulous, like he could barely believe that it was possible for Sam to feel anything for such a monster.

“No, I haven't forgotten any of that. But he's not just the devil, he's not just an angel either. I love him because he's more than that. And he doesn't love me just because I was made to be his vessel, but because I'm more than just that, too. Even if I might be his vessel again for a while.” Sam stopped then, worried he'd gone too far too soon.

He was right and Dean immediately shouted, “What? What you mean again?”

“Calm down and listen, Dean. Lucifer thinks he can heal me if he gets his grace back, but it'll go faster if he's in me considering I'm still his true vessel and all,” Sam explained placidly.

Dean took a moment for it to sink in before he turned to Cas. “What do you think?”

After deliberating for a moment, Cas said slowly, “It couldn't hurt Sam, unless Lucifer decided to restart the apocalypse or destroy the world.”

“He already promised he wouldn't,” Sam added.

“And you'll take his word? Satan's word?” his brother asked hotly.

“Yes,” Sam answered without hesitation. “You may not believe it, but he has never once lied to me, never broken his promises.” As he spoke, Lucifer slid his hand over underneath the table, resting it on Sam's knee.

Dean stared at him, calculating, then finally relented with a heavy breath. “If it'll help you, then I guess we should try. But he's got one strike. Anything crazy and he's out.”

“You know, I can give control to Sam for the most part. It wouldn't hide me from other angels, but Sam could still control his body like I wasn't even there.” Lucifer was looking at Dean as he talked, but Sam was watching him, too.

“You didn't tell me that,” the younger Winchester said.

“I was getting to it when we were interrupted,” the angel replied with a shrug.

“Would I still be able to hear you?”

“It would be much like it was before, but switched. And I could take over whenever I wanted where you had to fight for it.” Lucifer watched as Dean's face morphed into suspicion and turned to the hunter. “Sam already knows I would not do that unless he allowed me or if it was absolutely necessary.” He smiled suddenly. “I hate to say it, but I'm really not as evil as you like to think I am. At least not anymore.”

Dean blinked. “Yeah, okay. I'll believe it when I see it.” He looked to his brother. “So when is this shindig gonna go down?”

“I didn't think that far about it. Soon, though, I think.” Sam looked thoughtfully as his place, now half covered with cold eggs.

“How soon is soon?”

“Tomorrow?”

Dean seemed about to protest, but Cas spoke up. “The sooner the better, really. It won't do Sam any good to waste time.”

“It's not like he's going away either,” Lucifer told him. “I'll just be in him, too. Not like it hasn't happened before.”

“Gross, man! That is not something I want in my head!” Dean pretended to vomit.

Sam laughed. “Technically it hasn't in that way, actually, because I was just a soul then. Now I'm in my body again...” he pointed out.

Lucifer's hand tightened on his knee and a look at his face told Sam that he was thinking about changing that before the day was over. And Sam was perfectly okay with that. Really, he was okay with pretty much anything just then, the elation of having Lucifer back catching up with him again.

Forgetting for a moment who was with them, Sam cupped his hands around the back of Lucifer's head and pulled him into a bruising kiss. It was a kiss that said “I love you” and “wait until I get you alone” at the same time. He kept it up until the clearing of someone's throat brought him back. Still, he let his forehead rest against the angel's for a few seconds before turning. Dean was resolutely looking at the table while Cas was watching Lucifer with something akin to awe.

“I never thought I would ever see you love again, brother,” Castiel said softly. “But I am glad you have.”

The archangel smiled at the former seraph. “So am I. Also, I should apologise for killing you.”

The depths of Cas' eyes lit up, in mirth or forgiveness, Sam didn't know. “It's alright. I understand why you did, and I'm still here, so it is forgiven.”

“Thank you Castiel,” Lucifer told him, genuine gratefulness in his voice.

Dean suddenly stood from the table, moving to leave the room only to turn back at the last second. “Sam, I need to talk with you a minute.”

Standing uncertainly, Sam followed his brother down the hall and into the map room. “What's the deal now?” he asked, sitting on the table where his laptop was still perched and watching Dean pace before him.

“I don't understand what all this is, Sam. I keep feeling like I'm gonna wake up and all this is gonna be a dream. Lucifer is gonna be back in Hell, you won't be dying, maybe Cas will have his grace back! Hell, I don't know how deep this dream goes. Maybe none of this has actually happened and maybe I don't want any of it to.” When he finally stopped for breath, he looked at Sam to see his brother with eyes glued to the floor and hands shaking slightly. “Sammy?”

Sam's voice was weak. “It can't be a dream, Dean. I can't let it be dream, not after everything. I can't lose him again.”

“You really love him, don't you?” Dean asked slowly.

“I spent over a century and a half with him. I know his history, his fears, his family. I know how his mind works, and I know that he's never meant to hurt me, he's only ever wanted me to be safe, happy. Even when he made the wrong choices, his heart was in the right place. How could I not love him?”

“Because he's—”

“The devil? I know. But he's not. He's not evil, just a little messed up.” Sam took a deep breath. “He's made bad decisions, he's fucked up, but so have we, Dean. You can't deny that. He's changed, when he's with me he's different. He's still flawed, but aren't we all?”

Dean was silent for a long time. He quit pacing to sit beside Sam, hands clasped in his lap. “My instincts are telling me to grab you and run, kill him maybe. But if he makes you happy... Sam we're all kinds of fucked up, so I can't really tell you that you shouldn't love him because he's the devil.” He fell silent again. “When did you get so old and wise?”

Sam snorted a laugh. “You're the old one here, though I can't say you're wise. Well, I supposed technically I've lived over a hundred years longer than you.” He blew out air from between his lips. “You learn a lot when it's just you and a very old angel for a long time.”

“Huh,” Dean huffed.

“Dean, are we good? Is this thing gonna be okay?” Sam asked timidly after a minute.

The older Winchester looked at him and clapped a hand to his shoulder. “Yeah, Sammy. We're good. I just hope this works.” He stood and stretched his limbs out. “Come on, let's see if those two are getting along.”

. . .

They were in fact getting along, and much of the day passed as Cas caught Lucifer up on everything that had happened in Heaven and showed him around. Sam continued his research on potential cases while Dean kept up on his personal task of cataloging all the weapons and cool shit the Men of Letters had left in the many rooms of the bunker. Day turned to night like it always did and it was barely eight o'clock by the time Sam felt tired enough to sleep, knowing that he probably would take ages to fall asleep and wake early again, as had become the usual for him.

He left Lucifer in the others' capable hands while he went through his nightly ritual, brushing his teeth and stripping down into his boxers to climb into bed. He wasn't there long before his door opened quietly and the angel entered, slipping into the bed beside him. An arm wound around his middle and pulled him tight against the cool line of a familiar body. Sam relaxed into the embrace, his heart aching for all the nights he was without it.

“You haven't been sleeping.” It wasn't a question when Lucifer said it after a while.

“That's nothing new. I haven't slept well in years.”

“Are you going to sleep now, or do you want me to tire you out first?”

Sam felt his lips curl into a smile and he turned his head enough to let Lucifer kiss it off of him. The angel's hands tugged his hip to get him to roll over and press their chests together, legs tangling and lips meeting slow and sweetly. It didn't take long to turn into more. Lucifer's touch was sensual across Sam's bare skin, relearning the lines and dips of his ribs, his back. His kiss grew in intensity, hips rolling against him in a languid pace.

“Does it feel different to you? Being like this?” Sam asked against Lucifer's lips.

“In some ways... Do you want to stop?”

“No, I like it. It's good.” Sam thrust his hips a little harder, just to prove his point.

The archangel pushed him down gently, rolling on top to kiss at Sam's throat. “What do you want?” he whispered, breath tickling the edge of the human's ear.

“Want you,” Sam told him softly, back arching as Lucifer nipped his collarbone, licking it to sooth the skin.

“How?”

“In me, like we used to.”

“We used to do a lot.”

Sam laughed breathily. “I know. I want it all back.” He twined the fingers of one hand with the angel's and buried the other in his hair as Lucifer left a trail of kisses across his flesh.

“Lube?” Lucifer questioned, leaning up to look at Sam's flushed cheeks.

“Top drawer of my dresser.” The angel gave him a lingering kiss before untangling himself to step across the room and retrieve the lube. As soon as he left the bed, Sam let out a breath and threw an arm over his eyes.

It only took a few seconds for Lucifer to return, tossing the bottle onto the bed and recovering Sam's body with his own, leaning over him on his hands. “Sam? What's wrong?” When the hunter didn't answer, Lucifer pried away the arm covering his face and rested his palms on Sam's cheeks, looking him right in the eyes. “What is it?”

Sam's brows pulled together and he slowly reached up to mimic the gentle grasp that Lucifer had on him. “I never thought I'd get to have you again—or kiss you, or even see you. It feels surreal almost. I feel like I'm going to wake up in the morning and none of this will have been real.”

The angel laid a chaste kiss on the corner of Sam's mouth. “It's real,” he whispered against the seam of the human's lips. “I'm real. And I'm not going anywhere. I promise you, Sam, I'm not going anywhere.” He punctuated the statement with a tender kiss to Sam's forehead, both his eyelids and his cheeks, too.

Looking up at him with reverence, Sam believed him. “I want to say yes,” he mumbled. “Right now, I want to say yes.”

Lucifer eyed him for a moment. “Wait,” he replied softly. “I'll tell you when.” The angel settled back down after Sam nodded his consent, kissing him and letting their tongues slide together. He left Sam panting as he worked his way down the hunter's chest again, lips coming to rest at the base of his cock, which was slowly getting hard again after wilting during their conversation.

With mild touch, he coaxed Sam's knees up and his legs apart, reaching over for the bottle of lube once Sam was comfortable. He slicked up a few fingers and rubbed the tips around Sam's hole, eliciting a moan from the man. As he pushed one in, he bit lightly at the inside of Sam's thigh, smoothing over the spot with his tongue, waiting for Sam to relax before starting to pull out and press back in, quickly adding a second finger at Sam's request. Lucifer kissed the flesh on the back of Sam's knee just before crooking his fingers and making the hunter's hips jolt.

Sam let out a low noise that was barely human and rocked down onto Lucifer's hand. “I can't believe you still remember where that is,” he huffed. He would have laughed had the angel not pressed hard directly on his prostate just then.

Lucifer smiled up from between his legs. “I try to remember all the important things.” That time Sam did laugh, his whole body shuddering with the force of his gasping. Lucifer stilled his movements to lean up and look at Sam with a serious expression. “Sam, your ass is very important to me if you didn't already know that.”

“Oh my god, get off me I can't deal with you,” Sam screeched in an unmanly way that he knew his brother would never let him live down if he ever heard. He pushed the angel away by the shoulders, only taking enough care to make sure he didn't get hurt as Lucifer pulled his fingers from his ass. He ended up curled on his side, laughing and holding his stomach with one arm. Lucifer pulled himself up next to him, leaning on one arm and chuckling.

When Sam was finally calm enough, though the occasional hiccup of a giggle was still echoing in his chest, he slid his arms around Lucifer and pulled him close. Their bodies lined up perfectly and Sam was still smiling as he pressed a kiss to the answering grin on the angel's mouth. They kissed languidly for a few moments and Lucifer's hand traveled across Sam's hip and to the dip at the small of his back.

“Are you done or do you need a minute?” the archangel asked in a mellow voice, his lips dragging down Sam's jaw.

“No, I'm good, please continue,” Sam told him. He flopped onto his back again as Lucifer crawled on top of him, a smile still firmly in place. Lucifer rolled his eyes as he grabbed the bottle of lube and recoated his fingers, immediately pushing two inside of Sam. That effectively broke Sam's smile, only to have him part his lips with a moan as the angel hit his prostate dead on.

With a smug look, Lucifer sucked a hickey onto Sam's chest as his fingers pushed and prodded and scissored Sam's hole. He quickly added a third finger, continuing his ministrations until Sam gripped his shoulder with a strong hand, moaning wordlessly as Lucifer pulled his fingers out and took himself in hand to line up. He pushed in slowly, carefully, and when he bottomed out he waited for the hunter to rock his hips and urge him into moving.

“Sam,” Lucifer whispered humbly, laying a worshipful open-mouthed kiss on Sam's lips. He began a slow pace, but deep and hard, and their bodies shook together with the force. “You feel so good,” he muttered.

“I missed you,” Sam mumbled in reply. “Missed you so much. Missed kissing you, missed this.” He spoke between increasingly desperate kisses and gasps of breath, the end nearing for them both.

“Sam. Say yes. Say yes now.” The angel's words were breathed directly into Sam's ear, his thrusts harder and faster.

“Now?”

“Trust me.”

Sam took a breath, his orgasm—which had been burning low in his stomach for some time—finally flaring to a molten beast that was crawling its way through his veins. All he could feel was Lucifer, and he wanted to feel more. In his exhale, he whispered, “Yes.”

“Shut your eyes.” Sam complied, and even from beneath his lids he could see the bright light that suddenly filled the room and the space above him where Lucifer had been just seconds before. Without warning, Sam could feel himself coming, just as he could feel Lucifer entering his body. The two intertwined into a brilliant flux of pleasure that held Sam high in its grasp for a long while.

When he inevitably came back down, Lucifer was waiting, cool grace encompassing his very soul inside of him. Nick's body was gone, Sam noted. He himself was lying on his side in bed, clean and tucked in underneath his blankets, all probably thanks to the archangel while he'd been blissed out for a while there.

“Can you hear me?” Sam asked aloud tentatively.

 _Yes_ , Lucifer replied, chuckling as only a presence in Sam's mind could.

The human realized after a moment that he didn't need to speak out loud, and the angel could easily hear all his thoughts. _Where's Nick?_

Lucifer's grace reached outside of their body for a moment before coming back and wrapping tighter around Sam. _Safe. He's downstairs in one of the unused rooms._

 _Good_ , Sam thought even as his mouth split wide into a yawn.

 _Sleep, Sam,_ the angel told him softly.

Sam nodded, more to himself than Lucifer, and settled into the bed more comfortably. _Hey, Luce? I'm really glad you're back,_ he mumbled after a moment.

Sam felt happiness glowing around him from Lucifer. _Me too._

. . .

“Dude I could hear you guys going at it last night and let me just say that is not something I ever wanted to hear,” Dean was saying the next morning when Sam entered the kitchen yawning. “Where's the resident douchebag?”

“He's uh... he's here.” Sam poured a cup of coffee and sat across the table from his brother. Castiel had yet to appear. “Last night we kinda...”

“Stop there, I don't wanna know!”

Sam could almost hear Lucifer rolling his eyes. “No, Dean, he's in my body. I said yes last night.”

Dean raised his brows. “I feel like there's something kinky going on and I really don't want to know. So where's his other body?”

“In one of the unused rooms apparently. Be careful when you're doing inventory.”

“A dead body wouldn't freak me out,” Dean replied belligerently.

Sam held up his hands but he was smiling. “I'm just saying.”

“So how long is he gonna be... you know... in you?”

 _What do you think?_ Sam asked silently.

Lucifer thought for a moment. _I still can't say for certain. Probably not more than a few weeks. A normal angel would take much longer to heal you, but I'm sure it won't take too long._

“We don't know, but not long,” Sam finally said, looking up and frowning at the look on his brother's face. “What?”

“I swear, if you guys keep doing that silent conversation shit I'm gonna go crazy,” Dean told him.

Sam felt a playfulness from Lucifer and just barely managed to keep from smirking. _What do you say to some fun while you're stuck in me?_ Sam thought mischievously.

 _Yes,_ was all the angel replied.

 

**Author's Note:**

> And thus concludes the ACTUAL ending to this series. I love this verse like crazy, but I'm pretty sure there's not much else to do here, so instead I'm going to work on my other Samifer wip's and other shit.


End file.
